SPARK Tees Valley

We have teamed up with SPARK Tees Valley to support the delivery of our Cultural Capital curriculum and develop our pupils widen their aspirations needed for their future success.

There is compelling and increasing evidence that awareness of the World of Work from a young age increases motivation and attainment at school and subsequent earnings in later life.  Developing children’s cultural capital through their knowledge of, and sense of agency in, the world is key to having an effective impact. 

Why?

SPARK Tees Valley have over 25 years of experience supporting teachers and pupils alongside a constant awareness of what the research evidence suggests will have most impact. Much of the work they undertake with our pupils is focused on involving our pupils in developing their cultural capital through greater awareness of the world of work, especially on their doorstep.

Developing a sense of agency in this way is proven to to create more motivated and confident young people. The aim of Spark Tees Valley is to ensure that children grow up with the awareness and commitment to be drivers of progress in their local economy. Large scale research data suggests that the SPARK approach will have a long term impact on both the pupils’ school attainment as well as longer term career progression.

How?

SPARK has worked for many years as a ‘middle man’ between the world of work and education, their experience continues to produce high impact events and projects that work for all stakeholders. An appreciation of what is possible and desirable for both education and business at the outset of a project is absolutely essential and provides an effective platform on which to develop a project or resource. Coupled with many years of experience, the SPARK approach allows them to use the best bits of what they know works to develop innovative and engaging opportunities that work well as CSR from the business side and have a huge impact for the pupils, teachers and parents.

What?

SPARK Tees Valley is an internationally recognised company that specialises in supporting schools to deliver an engaging curriculum that develops cultural capital effectively. This includes a huge range of resources that ‘plug in’ to existing curriculum planning to enhance knowledge of how school learning relates to the World of Work. Most resources are aimed at primary or lower KS3 and are created in a style that has been developed with schools over the last decade to have maximum impact on the intended audience. SPARK’s work also includes support for developing digital agency and effective use of technology in the classroom along with a huge range of innovative events and projects that schools can get involved in.

South Bank Super Stars

What an incredible day at Southbank Primary School on our Redcar and Cleveland College funded Energy Workshops. The Year 6 children not only dazzled us with their amazing teamwork skills but also with their ability to solve mathematical problems and manage their finances as wind farm engineers.

Over the course of the two-hour interactive science workshop, the children learned all about opportunities in our local area in the renewable energy sector and they even became Energy Engineers making critical decisions on where to build a wind farm before constructing their own working model. 

We didn’t just stop there, we also had time for Hydrogen Grand Prix with children setting up their own hydrogen-powered car and learning all about electrolysis to separate the hydrogen from distilled water to power the car!

Resilience, engagement and enthusiasm levels were off the charts and as they were leaving a pupil told us “I’ve just loved today it’s been amazing!”

Please click the link below to see a photo montage of the Energy Workshops our Y6 children attended

National Apprenticeship Week

Our Y4 and Y5 pupils had the opportunity to spend the day as apprentices at Intelect, a national engineering company based in Middlesbrough. Intelect has an award-winning local work force that ranges from Apprentices to Project Engineers, and they employ specialist engineers experienced in electrical installation, mechanical engineering, pipework, fabrication and design. 

Please click the link below to see more information about their day